Arch-support for hollow and flat feet.



I 1. MAY. ARCH SUPPORT FOR HOLLOW AND FLAT FEET.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN- 20. 1914; 1,172,620. Pat ted Feb. 22,1916;

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON. D. C.

- W E ST TE PA ENT FICE;

JOSEPH AY; on 'rnAn ironrlon-rrnn iunrn, ERMANY TodZZwhOm z'tmay concern:

. clination of V the foot.

, Be it known that 'r, JO EPH n, a subject. of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Frankfort-on-the-Ma n, Gerimany, have invented certain new useful Improvements in Arch-Supports'for Hollow and Flat Feet, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinventionrelates to an interchangeable arch support, for footwear for hollow and flat feet, which is adapted-to be brought into and adjusted at various angular posit ions relatively to the center line ofthe foot.

. The arch support itselfmay be of various types. It may be. rigid, springy, adjustable or non-adjustable, and it maybe provided with rigid orlmovable and exchangeable lateral extensions or evenwithout such extensions. 1

:The object of the invention isto'provide a suitable interchangeablev arch support for footwear which can be placed at diflerent angles to the joint and to the 'static'center line of the foot,.thus enabling the arch support to be set correctlyaccordingto the degree of abduction of the heel and the inp This is attained. in that the heel part of the arch support'is rotatable and the ball 'p'art is provided with suitable adjusting means. According to the type of arch support, and according as to whether it is mounted on the cover or inner sole,'the kind and arrangement of-the means employed. for permitting the turning, .and adjustment to be effected, may or must be .varied.

The drawing illustrates some examples of construction according to this invention :Figure lis an underneath plan view. Fig. 2 is a corresponding side view showing one example of construction witha single heel-turning point. Fig. 3 is an underneath plan of an example of'construction having a number of heel-turningpoints. Figs. 4

-. and 5 showtwo ditferentheel plates and their method'of being fastened and Figs. 6 and 7 showin two sections at right angles a turning pin which may serve at the same time as the locking member.

In Figs 1 and 2'the plate a is shown which in this case may have a spring action, and is provided with the usual exchangeable band or tie for varying its curvature arranged in the arch thereof. Its heel part is rotatably connected to the cover a of leather or other suitable material by a rivet Specificationoi Letters Patent.

Y ARCH-SUPPORT Eon nor-mow AND FLAT. FEET.

b orthe like. Its ball 'part restson aguide Y Patented Feb. 22, 1916. Application filedlanuary 20.1914. Serial 110,813,234.

plate (Z which is so connected to the cover 0 that freedom of movement isprovided for .the.ba1l-part of the springplate a. On the i ball-partof the spring plateis provided'an V "ad ustmgor guide-pin e and in the plate d are formed side by side a numberof'adv ju'sting and guiding slots therefor, which are preferably radial to the pivot {b forming the turning point of thearch sup port, so-that the pin 6 can slide in said sl'ot'sj 7' without turning movement, and the ball part of the arch support can move as far as is permitted bythe length of'the slots. ,rBy lifting the ball part of the arch support the adjusting and guiding'pin e can be raised out of one of the slots another. During use, however, it cannot come out accidentally as the arch support supports the wei ht of the wearer and the f and inserted into I pin 0 istherefore always presseddownward;

By inserting the pin je into one or the other of the'slotsf, the angular positionof the arch support can be varied to suit the abduction of the heel or the inclination of the foot.

Fig. 1 of the drawing a diflerent angular position is indicated by the dot and dashline.

In arch supports of which the ball part is not required to slide forward simple adjust: ing holes can be provided for thepinein place of adjusting and guide slots f. It is also not essential that the holes orslots for the pin 6 should be in a separate plate, but they may be formed directly v in the loosely-inserted or fixed'inner sole.

For the purpose of increasing still ifurther the possibility ofadjustment of the foot-arch plate a, its angular turning 01' fixing pin b may also beinade adjustable in the sole. This permits of varying the positioiiof the foot-arch plate 'itself'between thewinner sole and thecover both laterally and longitudinally, and also permits of greater angular adjustment. Moreover in this case the foot-arch plate is only re-- movably connected to its cover or the inner sole so that-it can easily be exchanged and,

another can beinserted between the cover and inner sole. An under-side plan of such an example of construction is shown in Fig. 3. According to this arrangement-the arch-plate a is provided with a turning pin 6 at the heel part as in the construction first described. For the reception of this pin, a number of holes are provided in. suitable positions in the inner sole or cover. The positions of these holes are so chosen that the turning pin 7), by being engaged in one or other of the holes, will, carry the archplate more to the right or to the left of the longitudinal center line of the sole, or more to the front or to the rear. Difierent positions of the arch plateproper relatively to its cover and alsoto the sole are shown in Fig. 3 by full lines, simple dashed lines and dot-and-dash lines.

Instead of stamping the holes for the turning pin 6 directly in the sole or the cover, a separate bearing plate 9 can be rlveted or otherwlse fixed. to this as shown in the drawing. The bearing plate 9 may also be-secured to separate heel. and supports, or may even be formed as such an arch support or it may retain such an arch support between itself and the innerv sole or the cover.

I In the example of construction shown in Fig. 4 the bearing plate is stamped out of the heel plate in the form ofa tongue, and the arch-plate slides with the end of its heel-part between the plate and the tongue.

. of the pin is preferably such that, its free sharp lower end projects somewhat beneath the bearing plate g, so that it will engage with the sole when the arch support supports the weight of the wearer, or will be pressed into: this, thus retaining the archsupport in position in the shoe.

The bearing plate 9 for the turning pin 6, as also the sliding plate (Z for the adjusting .pin 6 have preferably only one end secured to the cover 0 so that their other ends can easily be raised, and the arch-plate properly inserted, adjusted and again removed when required for exchanging the same. The ends of the arch-plate are thus provided with a firm, secure and flat support on the plates '65 and h.

In rendering the heel part-of the archplate also adjustable on the sole, in addition to the angular adjustment-of the ball part, it is of course optional whether the.

construction 1s effected as-herein described, or whether other sultable means are employed for the purpose.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Having thus described my invention. 60.

what I claim as new and desire to secure by,

Letters Patent is:

l.An-- arch support for footwear comprising an arch-plate having a heel and, Q

ballpart, a cover-piece for said plate, means:

for turning and adjusting. the heel part at Y various angles relatively to-the longitudinal center line of said cover piece, and means. for guiding and allowing the ball part :to.

slide longitudinally. 2. An arch support for footwear 1com.- prising an arch-plate having a heel andball part,$ a cover-piece for said plate, means for turning and adjusting the heel part *at various angles relatively to the longitudinal center line of said. cover piece, afiXed guide plate havinganumber of slots arranged radially to the turning center of the heel,

part, and a pin in the ball part, said pin be -1 ingadapted toengage with any of theslots in the guide plate.

3. An arch support for footwear comprise ingan arch-plate, havingakheel and iball part, acover-piecefor said plate, means for.

turning and, adj usting the heel part at vari ous angles relatively to the longitudinal center line of said cover piece, a fixed guide v permitting of free longitudinal movement of the arch-support; said guide havingja number of guide slots arranged radlallyto' the turning center ofthehee'l part, and a pin in the ball part, said pin being adapted to engage with any of the slots so as toallow j a sliding movement of the ball; and of the arch-support. V 4 An. arch supportfor footweari comprising an arch-plate, having a heel and a ball part, a fixed plate having a number of holes, a pin on the heel part, saidpin being.

adapted to engage with any of said holes,

and means for preventing accidental disengagement of the pin from the hole.

5. An arch support for footwear com-.

prising an arch-plate having a heel and; ball part; fixed plates for supporting the heel and. ball parts, said plates being, so

arranged as to permit of adjustment of the arch-support, and means on. said heel and ball parts engaging with the fixed plates,

said means being such as to permit a turn.

ing movement of the heel part and longi-.

Washington, D. G. 

